Mountain Dew Then: The BVO Era
For most of Mountain Dews history its formula contained Brominated Vegetable Oil (BVO) - a bromine-containing emulsifier. BVO was banned in the EU and Japan decades ago. It was banned in India in 2003. In the US, BVO remained permitted until the FDA banned it in August 2024. PepsiCo reformulated US Mountain Dew to remove BVO in 2014 after a Change.org petition gathered over 200,000 signatures. Other concerning ingredients remained.
Mountain Dew US vs UK 2026
| Category | Mountain Dew US | Mountain Dew UK | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweetener | High-Fructose Corn Syrup | Sugar (sucrose) | HFCS not used in EU/UK at scale |
| Yellow color | Yellow 5 (Tartrazine) | Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) | Yellow 5 requires EU warning label |
| Preservative | Sodium Benzoate | Potassium Sorbate | Sodium benzoate + ascorbic acid can form benzene |